Gamp's Law Defined
by ChuckTheElf
Summary: A small work defining one of the few rules of magic given in the canon series. Or is it canon? You decide.
1. Introduction

For the average wizard, the Five Exceptions are simple and obvious. Yet the majority of wizarding kind lacks any form of comprehension in this matter, taking for granted the existence of basic laws that have laid the foundation for society.

Despite the abhorrent methodology utilized in explaining these five exceptions, there are several brilliant intellects in our day and age that have illuminated the potential outputs observed within the realm of Transfiguration. These great minds are far more capable of discerning adequate means of conveying the crucial nature of the Five Exceptions, leaving it to my humble quill to ascribe a fitting monograph.

In brief, the Five Exceptions are often wrongly attributed to Magess Hesper Gamp, the renowned Transfiguration prodigy. Rather, her lesser-known uncle, Aristotle Gamp derived the Five Exceptions through years of observation and study. To date, the Law of Elemental Transfiguration bears his name, and the Gamp name would be considered for a Wizangamot seat within this century. The line's extinction during the Bad Times has sadly terminated that hope. Lest all should believe this an utter defeat, it should be known that a revival of the line may be possible, should the affected parties (unnamed to maintain the integrity of this publication) allow their distaff members to re-establish the defunct lines.

The Law of Elemental Transfiguration is a simple, yet beautiful observation on the innate nature of magic. Before, one needed a deep understanding of the Roman _Mutationes in humoribus reformabit_ by the unknown _Paterdomus_ of the Temple of Pluto. To truly master the subject, a student of Transfiguration would have needed to understand the deft contributions of the _Hispanian_ Philosophers as well. But after this discovery, comprehension of Transfiguration changed from an esoteric science requiring Masters into a household skill and the hands of the meanest practitioner.

Hereby, in the original language, is Gamp's Law as inscribed in _Theorien über die subtile Kunst der Verklärung,_ in the _Moderne Entdeckungen_ periodical.

 _"Die Eigenschaften jedes Elements, das man in der natürlichen Welt findet, können in die chemischen Eigenschaften eines anderen Elements umgewandelt werden, die Veredlung um Faktor Zehn zunehmend und mit demselben den meanness abnehmend."_

Translated: " _The properties of every element found in the Natural World may be changed into the properties of another element, the magic required for such a change increasing by a factor of exponential proportion with the nobility of the element, and decreasing with its meanness by the same._ "

Thanks must be given to the contributors in this work.

Madame Professor Griselda Marchbanks, CDMG, APMO, fdBB

Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, MTF, CDMG, GPoW, TPE, Order of Merlin First Class, and current placeholder of the Most Popular Famous Witches and Wizards Card (insert by insistence)

Alchemists Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel

Dr. Hermione Granger, BS, BA, MD, D.M.S., CDMG, LGmA, PAR and MoS.

My most humble gratitude for these magnificent contributions furthering the mastery of this art. I remain,

 _Charles_ _Levinhand, Chief Researcher of Thaumological and Arcane Magics_


	2. Transfiguration History

" _Transfiguration is the art of bending the fabric of the universe to your will."_

I say this to every class I teach, and every guest lecture I find myself speaking. Transfiguration is the most powerful of the arts, it changes reality with every motion, rupturing what has existed for untold centuries with magic. The Greeks feared the subject, banning the practice from all but the most credible of practitioners. Those few were revered as gods amongst mortals, chief of whom is known today as _Hephaestus_.

The dark secret no Greek wanted an outsider to know, was that every blacksmith mage held at least a minor talent in Transfiguration. Making bronze was a muggle secret, but every wizard smith could manufacture such a thing. The best could hold a Transfiguration for years, but the inevitable degradation necessitated experimentation. Among the Greeks, this was a thing of beauty despite their reticence. Creating a new substance is exponentially easier when the base elements can be created from base materials – experimenting with Transfiguration however frequently wound up with broken bones and hideous creatures.

When Rome took on the onus of responsibility for the Greeks, they also acquired the research material. Many secrets are gone; the battles between Olympus and the Temple of Mars rendered entire cities into rubble. Several members of Olympus survived the battles and became part of the Temple of Mars. While the Roman faction proved superior in combat, the Greek thought-mode gained the advantage, from which we arrive to so many similarities between pantheons.

As an aside, any further inquiries in the change of power from Olympus to the Temple of Mars-orders would do well to read _Infernum, magister Magics_ _._ Not _all_ the change in opinion came from pure culture, after all.

The history of Transfiguration continued in a similar fashion, practiced solely by Masters and their Apprentices until the Fall of the Muggle Roman Empire. Wizards survived the Fall with ease, forming conclaves outside of Latin infrastructures and creating competitive strongholds. Many of these ran afoul of Germanic tribes, persistently misunderstanding the primal origins of their magic. Organized Roman protocols held back the barbarian hordes for millennia, but when a full regiment of _Acie divinos_ lacked a shield-wall to stand behind, the erratic chaos inherent within a single Nordic mage could alter the flow of battle in a single spell. But many powerful members of the former Roman Temple of Rome treated with the barbarians and gained aid.

To date, those families have descendants to this day and age, if changed in name. The Potters ( _Paters_ ), Malfoys (formerly _Drako;_ see _Name Changes and Origins for more details_ ) and Jullan ( _Julian_ ) lines all trace origins to the Roman antecedents. Powerful Germanic families like the Blacks ( _Blæc_ ) and Dumbledore ( _Dumbelandor_ ) may claim some lineage to the Latins, but stretch much further back in their Germanic ancestry, in cases as far as what was considered more civilized regions.

 _Note: the Germanic tribes considered the Latins soft and unfit for trust as a rule. See_ Customs of the Germans by Tacitus Altos.

The strong Transfiguration abilities of certain Latin families astounded their new neighbors. Changing a battlefield from a field of grass into an army of rampaging golems tends to do that – and secured alliances. Of course, once established, these alliances demanded to share in the knowledge of Transfiguration, which was equated to a strength of equal value as Divination in that day and age. Granting those skillsets took mages of prodigious power, allowing only the strongest to survive yet treasuring every mage born.

The greatest of these was Merlin, also known as Emrys or Ambrosius, a genius in many areas. But his talent in Transfiguration made him a legend in his own time; a single wizard that could change not only the battlefield but warded and charmed holdings proved a Power in his own right. No king or mage could overpower him, and wherever he turned his attention quaked at his passing. The three greatest benefits to the field of Transfiguration since their development in Grecian times came from this one wizard.

First, Merlin established the boundary of living and non-living materials. Through his studies the _thaum_ became a standard of measurement, capable of precisely describing limits to Transfiguration durations and how great a change could be inflicted by a particular wizard or witch.

Second, Merlin described a concept that took three centuries to rediscover: the relationship between the stars and Transfiguration. Evidence from observations show that Merlin well understood the reflective nature between constellations and creations imbued via Transfiguration. The now commonly known 'As Above' principle (attributed to Magess Aich'n Delacour) intensifies the amount of magic buried within a Transfiguration, extending a shift by a factor of three. Special occasions may extend the effect by a factor of seven, and in rare situations, can be compounded again into variables of thirteen. The end result of the last factor is invariably destructive upon the caster, which is how Merlin defeated the Warlock of Kent without casting a single spell (see: _Famous Battles in the Post-Roman Era,_ by _Phoenix Darkling_ ).

Third, the initial limitations of creation were made firm under Merlin's supervision. Gold cannot be Transfigured from plant material in the initial casting, and the reverse is equally true. His lecture to the Third Court of Londinium established the now well-known Rule of Increasing Power. The more Noble an element, the more magic is required. The greatest example he provided lay in the conversion of simple copper to gold; fifty _thaum_ were required for such a thing. Yet the conversion of gold to copper took a mere ten _thaum_ , and the further conversion of copper to iron took less than a single _thaum._

This established properties of Transfiguration, but did not elucidate the general principles. At that time a full dozen wizards could be considered Masters of Transfiguration, and each trained their own apprentices in their own way.

Further expansions on the pool of Transfiguration knowledge remained stagnant until the 20th century. Chaos from the re-organization of Muggle culture and the disappearance of Merlin from the world-stage forced the wizarding attention to matters of survival and cooperation. The disruption initiated by the Statue of Secrecy in the 17th century came on the heels of over two centuries of increasing conflict, developments in wards, charms, potions and all manner of marvelous innovations in Arithmancy. Masters in Transfiguration grew confident in their craft, but such individuals remained at the edge of society. Transfiguration's use was of limited value as alternative methods for procuring materials grew prevalent.

At the cusp of the change between the 17th and 18th centuries, the Gamp family came upon the scene. A new line from the distaff Meddorin family and a muggleborn wizard, the firstborn developed an intense interest in Transfiguration. Despite discouragement by multiple parties, the son became enamored of the subject, experimenting with the sort of energy rarely seen. Young Aristotle continued training in the art, growing in its subtleties until he finally made a discovery, one that shook the very foundations of Transfiguration. By reducing the known principles of Transfiguration into a simplified form, he discovered an arithmantic correlation between elements, their absorbance of power, and the stellar bodies that made up the strengthening components of exponential value.

The rediscovery of the 'Lost Secret of Merlin' catapulted the Gamp family into prosperity. Transfiguration became a subject of high interest once more, and a cornerstone of education centers on an international scale. This one discovery caused entire business empires to rise and fall, for with it temporary modifications became known in their full nature.

Unreliable Transfigurations became a thing of the past. With that change came a new burst of prosperity, stretching the already lengthy distance between muggle and wizard. Homes became palaces overnight, owners altering their dwellings merely because they could, not needing to pay exorbitant fees to craftsmen or for ownership of a house elf.

The Masters did not falter under this sudden revelation. Instead, they incorporated this new knowledge and raised their own levels of expertise to unheard of levels. Previous magics believed to have belonged solely to Merlin became entertainments at gatherings, spreading the new popularity even faster. Educational standards increased, turning the subject of Transfiguration into a regular course at the greatest education centers. Hogwarts was the first in 1803, then Beauxbaton in 1805 – although to be fair, the French school had already ensured a private tutoring program for those interested in the subject. Other schools followed suit.

Today Transfiguration is a cornerstone of a well-rounded education. No wizard or witch will be viewed with respect if they cannot accomplish the most basic of changes, and in order to obtain employment, most need to have obtained a minimum of Excellent in their NEWT's. The subject has come into its own after a long, and lonely history.


	3. Rule 1

The first exception to Gamp's Law is the creation of food. While simple enough to say, the reason behind the statement remains startlingly complex.

First, it must be known that the properties of sustenance incorporate many disparate portions. Bakers know this fact intimately; flour is but one of the many ingredients required of their art, yet it can be manipulated in a myriad of ways. Plain white flour or whole wheat are two ingredients of the same source that grant virtues in a similar but different manner. Likewise their inclusion in any confection necessitates a full understanding in their interaction. Sugar and flour will have a synergistic relationship, but the subtleties of cane sugar and whole wheat flour will be vastly different from that of sugar beets and white flour.

Transfiguration takes those subtleties and infuses them with the complexities of what one old correspondent labeled 'relativity'. A simple equation will not sufficiently describe the nature of magic any more than one sentence could perform adequate service in conveying a national sentiment.

Let us consider a simple conversion of one element into another: copper to iron. This humble change requires minimal energy in accordance to the Ambrosian Shift. That is to say, the alteration of material will take ten _thaum_ at minimum without excess. Iron is, of course, a very poor retainer of magic, and will discharge at a rate of one fifth per minute. Compensation for this discharge may be performed by investing more magic; an average one-hundred _thaum_ will be invested for the most part, rendering the change from copper to iron intact for an approximate ten minutes. Time will vary, depending on the purity of the material and completeness of the change.

This transfigured metal shall retain all of the same qualities as a similar sample hewn from the earth. What the caster must bear in the forefront of his mind is that every iota of magic invested in that metal shall affect changes further added. In my experience, certain compatible magics will enhance what enchantments are desired, while those incompatible will render the end product to be of lesser quality.

Transfigured iron in our example, while useful in its own right, will retain the qualities of iron only for as long as the strength of the initial caster remains. Then it shall revert to copper and all the qualities thereof. Magnetism will vanish, conductivity shall increase, and the caster will need to re-invest a second volume of power equal to the first, if the volume of metal remains the same. This transition however requires less effort; the metal _remembers_ as it were, the second form. Standard production protocols for toy manufacture makes a strong use of this principle, switching between elements to delight the wielder. These toys were created via constant Transfiguration, changing an element to another constantly.

Similar conversions may be made in any non-living element. Iron, copper, gold, silver – these metals all retain qualities that may be shifted interchangeably within reason. The more noble the element, the greater the power required to create the change.

This brings us to the transfiguration of non-living elements. Returning to copper, we may illustrate this notion by transfiguring a two inch block of copper into a two inch block of oak. This change facilitates understanding of an element and how drastic the difference is between _living_ and _non-living_ substances. Oak is not a mere element; if examined closely, one will see lines and veins running through its material. These are signs of life one cannot dispute, ignoring the even more obvious implications of the green tree while it yet lived.

Powering such a transition takes an experienced mind to predict in any accuracy. Every tree is different as every life is different. Strength for each change will be at odds with the magic inherent in all life, or the remains of life.

A formidable example of this thought may be found in one of the most valuable commodities on the market: dragon hide. Dragon hide is incredibly difficult to enchant. Its very nature resists change; qualities desired throughout any society. Dragons can be argued to be the most magical of animals, infusing every fiber of their being with power. The nature of this power can be perceived in the resistance to change, or the ability to inflict change itself. Long after its death, the essence of dragon remains within the remnants of its body, and those remnants are what we utilize in craftsmanship.

In a similar way, even those of lesser magical intent are capable of resisting change. The greater the power, the greater the resistance; basilisk hide is rumored to be of greater resistance than dragon, although few are willing to test this postulate. The feather of a Phoenix is nigh impossible to transfigure, as the nature of the creature embodies change and strength.

Now, let us turn our attention to food.

What do we perceive as food but portions of what once lived? Wizards are unable to exist on magic, despite our best efforts. Stone and water may be essential, but no one has yet been able to renounce reliance upon that stuff we call _edible_.

Every dish we enjoy, all of the drinks and soups we sup, is a portion of some once-living substance. Beef and dragon, fowl and grain all were at one point living organisms. As a living organism, the essence of living remains within its substance, long after mortality. The art of preservation is designed to maintain those secret essences prolonging their existence for our consumption. Once the semblance to life has faded the substance no longer remains nutritious, and it can no longer be considered edible.

Prior to that state of decay a food may be examined for Transfiguration qualities. Pork chops may be transfigured into steak, but the steak will have definite qualities reminiscent of pork. Fish may likewise be transfigured into jacketed potatoes, yet will never lose the oily nature defining it as _fishy_ in nature. This is due to their formerly living nature; even after the body has deceased, the ability to retain its initial state is intact.

Let us return to the non-living materials, and our first example of copper.

Copper may be transfigured into the shape of salmon by a student. A skilled practitioner of the art may add a life-like coloration. A Master could even grant a texture similar to fish while a prodigy could perhaps add a level of detail simulating taste. But even the most gifted practitioner will fail to grant existence of this creation for more than a few moments. More importantly, it will return to what element of which that creation was formed.

Consider the implications. As has been stated by wiser men, the potential is of deadly reaches.

If our copper has been transfigured into the form of food, it will return to the element from which it arose. Any particle absorbed will revert to its original form, not in the normal one fifth average, but at an accelerated rate. Every particle removed will discharge what power it held that much faster. The complex equations describing the increasing loss of power are too long to describe in full detail in this little note; it is suffice to mention only the exponential rate of decrease referenced by Patronus the Wise and his colleagues in what is known as 'Coomb's Law': if the volume of a transfigured object is decreased by one quarter, the discharge rate shall increase by three quarters.

It is a relief then, that even the strongest mage is incapable of holding a complete food item for more than a handful of moments. It is of even greater relief that the Transfiguration of food is itself impossible; no matter what gifts are applied, the object shall never the full qualities of food.

In conclusion, the creation of food through Transfiguration is a noble sentiment, but quite impossible.


	4. Rules 2 and 3

It has fallen to our responsibility to write on the Second and Third Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Transfiguration. They may be summarized in two sentences:

 _No element may be made more or less noble than its immediate predecessor._

 _A living element may be changed into a non-living element, no matter how noble._

Understanding these principles prevents more issues than the common mind would believe. Despite the Rule of Increasing Power exposited upon by Merlin himself, there are hundreds of preventable deaths caused by the cessation of cranial function in one of these rules.

To whit. Such was how the great Researcher Ozymandis Kalphite of the Rasputin Research Center in what was once known as _Hlyboki Doslidzhennya_ (better known through the common name of Chernobyl) died. While supervising an experiment where a gifted pupil had proposed a method bypassing the Third Exception, a catastrophic failure occurred (see: _Oops,_ by _Dietrich Calchaneal,_ p. 356). Fell magics were unleashed, requiring the safeguard measures to activate, burying the facility in a mass of earth, metal and restricting wards. Modern observations of the facility demonstrate a massive power fluctuation to this day, strong enough to attract Dark Creatures of unspeakable nature. Lethifolds, skeletal undead, and the Litch-kin are known to inhabit the region, as well as the world's second largest Dementor population.

This error is known as the _Disjunction_. When attempting to transfigure an element more than a step below its own rating, the blowback reaction can escalate into a truly massive burst of energy disproportional to the volume of material present. This _Disjunction_ forms only when transfiguring the more noble metals. Fireballs of lesser – if no less deadly – intensity may still be erupted when attempting to transfigure the less-noble elements. For this reason all students of Transfiguration are permitted to exchange one metal for another, but are trained to do so solely after passing a rigorous training regimen.

A strange caveat in the transfiguration of elements can be found in the exchange of living to non-living elements. What would ordinarily be a rigid protocol retains almost no regulation whatsoever.

When transfiguring a living element to non-living, the change may be done to nigh any element imaginable. Oak to gold is possible, if taxing. Oak to aluminum requires less effort. It is for this reason there exists a practice where individuals will take living elements and transfigure them to the most noble metal they are capable of achieving, repeating the process multiple times. Repeating the effort gives the caster a mastery of the sensation involving more noble elements without great expense.

First recorded by Enrico Yascha ( _Transfiguração Hoje_ , de Yascha) in 1652, this principle of living to non-living transfiguration had apparently been in practice for millennia. Writings from the Temple of Mars refer to _graeco_ wizards that used strange magics to alter living things to stone. Further research points to either gifted wizards or exotic beasts that have since become extinct.

In his _Catastrophes of the Ancient World_ , Sir Frederick Umbilkirk notes the various monsters faced by heroes in the Greco-Roman period. He expands upon this in _Unusual Conditions and Special Gifts of the Ancients_ , noting the similarity to the heroes and actions by the more famed members of todays society. The Gorgon is one such creature capable of turning flesh to stone – simple enough a magic, and potentially even more powerful in the hands of a wandless master. The three sisters referenced in the saga (Euryale, Stheno and Medusa) were common names; Hesiod-based legend holds three witches of the same names in the port city of Piraeus, registered to the house of Phorcys for example.

Modern creature examples include the Cockatrice ( _Pullum iratus_ ) and the Basilisk ( _Serpiente rex_ ). Each is able to take living matter, also known as _organic_ matter, and render it into non-living elements. This display of transfiguration is exemplary of latent gifts, rather than deliberate improvement of un-learned capabilities.

Returning to Sir Umbilkirk's theory, the beasts of the Ancients were more gifted in the transfiguration capacities, and either took advantage of the Third Exception to Gamp's Law by nature, or were designed to do so. Given the delayed realization of Gamp's Law, it is more likely that the Gorgons of legend were clever beasts, or what society would call _idiot savant_ witches. If the latter, it is simple to understand why a hero would be contracted to eliminate such a being. While lacking wit, a witch with the power to transfigure everything she sees into stone without communication or morals guiding her is a terrifying prospect.

A final example from our Grecian forbears tells the tale of the great Philosopher-mage Midas, whom's obsession with the subject nearly became his undoing.

As the corrected history records ( _Levinhand et al, 1997_ ), Philosopher-mage Midas delighted in his abilities to change life to 'living statues', as the translation reads. While a powerful wizard in his own right, close ties with Bacchas, one of the Pantheon (Olympus wizard order) led to experiments with runes and the extended duration of transfigured objects. The 'golden touch' became his signature spell, popular at parties and bacchanals. Such was his skill that a single touch was all he needed to initiate this magic. With the help of Bacchus, this became even more potent, an early representative of the Gemino charm (then known as the _Reflection curse_ ), anyone that touched the newly gold object would also be transfigured into gold; an amusement that has since been passed down for nursery folk in the 'Golden Goose' game.

Unfortunately, the debilitating mental conditions latent within the Midas family line became evident only after he turned his entire court to gold, including servants and family members. It was only through collaboration with what the Ancients called the _Small Folk_ that a treatment involving running water became feasible, returning all the afflicted to their un-transfigured state (see: _Encyclopedia of the Non-Human Magics: Origins of Thief's Downfall_ , by _Benjamin Button, Curator of Ancient Magicks_ ).

This brings us to the final point. Elements may not be fully turned from non-living elements to living, proven by the First Exception to Gamp's Law. We may safely expand on that by noting that Elements may be transfigured from living to non-living elements, within limitations.

Once transfigured, an altered element may be shifted higher or lower among the known materials; higher or lower _nobility_ we say. Duration of these shifts depends on multiple variables, but it can be safely stated that it is possible. Practice and observation of the Exceptions will turn an average student of Transfiguration into a Master.

Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel


	5. Rules 4 and 5

The Fourth Exception: _Inorganic elements may not be granted true life._

The Fifth Exception: _Stellar correlation holds true in the function of the Discharge Law._

The Fourth and Fifth Exceptions to Gamps Law are dissimilar in superficial thought, but possess an intrinsic connection on such a deep level that it took millennia for the true subtleties to be discovered (Hobson and Dobbs, 1792). These connections can be best described through arithmancy, in the _Avalon_ Equations to be precise. While mysterious and not completely known, the first three books contain a mathematical work of art that demonstrates a dozen constellations and their effects on Transfiguration.

Beginning with Rule Four: No inorganic element, that is to say _non-living,_ may be gifted with life. Charming stories told to children of toys that spring to life and become fast companions are the definition of tales for entertainment. This is not to say that objects cannot attain certain _life-like_ qualities of their own; homes become like their owners as one example, and that which a wizard or witch spends their time around absorbs a quantity of their personality.

Re-phrased, imbuing a toy with Transfiguration enchantments will allow it to become mobile, moving around and creating events similar as to a real specimen of the same shape. As an example: a plush bird may be granted flight, hopping, wing flapping and all the mannerisms of an actual bird. But this imitation of life will not grant the toy life, and the Discharge Law decrees the magic will revert in time. Accidental Magic is a frequent source of this misunderstanding, and is thought to be the origin for certain popular muggle's tales, like _Winnie-the-pooh_ and _Toy Story_. Presumably, Accidental Magic empowered toys and gave the idea for such a thing, although one should not discount the imaginative prowess of those incapable of magic.

Those whom have read the first chapter by Headmaster Dumbledore will recall the stricture forbidding the alteration of inorganic to organic matter in full. It is of little surprise then that the same rule follows in granting life. Living material may be transfigured into other living material, but such a change is fraught with peril.

Chimera ( _Carnicus unum_ ) are one possible example of organic-to-organic transfiguration. Bizarre nature aside, samples of the species show clear evidence of tampering through unwitting accident, or what some people would call 'brute force' manipulation.

The former method would require happenstance where three creatures would be combined in a transfiguration accident. Magic can be an incredible meld of intent, and if the caster intended for the disparate parts to become whole, there is a good chance that it would. This intent would then be in conflict with the creature's original intent, which would have been to remain independent. Should the caster's will be superior to that of the creature's transfigured, the change could become permanent, as the natural inclination to separate becomes a desire to remain intact.

* * *

Moving on to the final and Fifth Exception; the Arithmancy Master Asteraceae Florensa took the work of Aristotle Gamps, and created a compendium of stellar events affecting transfiguration. Werewolves are one example of stellar-based change, and the harvest of many plants is considered most efficacious under varying conditions. Potions acquire additional potency from linkage to sidereal timing, and many delicate brews must be carefully maintained with respect to the stars.

To whit, it is of little surprise that the conjunction of Cygnus in the northern sky with Venus increases the efficiency of transfigured aluminum by over forty percent. Under normal circumstances, changing objects _to_ or transfiguring _from_ aluminum requires eight _thaum._ When the stellar positioning is most beneficial, the cost reduces to three _thaum_ , or even two in optimal conditions.

Discharge rates for aluminum-base constructs is equally reduced to half of standard rates. Long-lasting transfigurations for simple aluminum efforts are best performed under these conditions, as they will be will retain their form the longest and undergo the least difficult change. Additional work undergone by the _Estrella_ Foundation indicate many deeper forms of magic undergo periods of change based on constellations.

Opposite conditions would include the constellation of Taurus in ascension. When Aldebaran and Venus are in conjunction, the same cost for transfiguring aluminum may triple, or even quadruple if unfortunate additional obscurations are incorporated. An excerpt from a study on Herpo the Foul tells us of his cruelty, whereupon he injected the famed Transfiguration Master Vayne Ewino with Malaclaw venom. While an obscure toxin, most skilled potion masters will recognize the ingredient as a primary component of _felix felicis,_ also known as Liquid Luck. Unprocessed, Malaclaw venom causes the opposite of good fortune, encouraging poor decisions and worse circumstances to occur at all times.

Master Ewino became incapable of performing reliable transfigurations after this treatment. The most famous aspect for which he is known is the sabotage he performed upon Herpo the Foul's stronghold. While bezoars, _felix felicis_ and counter-potions would all mysteriously have accidents in his presence, the ability to transfigure a portion of his own body remained a functional skill. By temporarily transfiguring multiple internal organs – and the Malaclaw venom within – Ewino then fought to Herpo the Foul's fortress, and initiated a massive transfiguration upon the external walls. At the precise moment of effort, his internal organs reverted to their normal state, and it became evident that the stellar alignments, materials present, and runic defenses were all in the most hideous position possible for transfiguration.

The resulting explosion rendered Herpo the Foul's sanctum vulnerable to a follow-up attack by his enemies, and gave two important lessons:

First: Use Malaclaw venom at your own literal risk.

Second: Transfiguration should not be discounted, even when believed neutralized.

For further information on the Exceptions of Gamp's Law, we suggest reviewing _Major Exceptions to Major Laws_ , by Arch-Chancellor Coomb et al, at Plumbum Singularity.


End file.
